1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the styling of hair. More particularly, the present invention relates the styling of hair using a hair dryer. More particularly, the present invention the relates to attachments for hair dryers.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
Hair dryers are typically used to accelerate the drying time of wet hair. Hair dryers typically have a handle and a tubular blower portion. The handle is used by the user to position the hair dryer near hair that is wet. A mechanical device in the hair dryer accelerates a flow of air through the tubular blower portion. The accelerated air exits an end of the tubular blower portion so as to blow high velocity air past wet hair. The high velocity of the air acts to accelerate the evaporation of water particles from wet hair. Hair dryers typically come with variable speeds. Thus, the user of a hair dryer can control the acceleration of air within the hair dryer, and thus the velocity of air exiting the end of the tubular blower portion of the hair dryer. Hair dryers are typically equipped with heating coils that heat the air passing through the hair dryer. The heated air also acts to accelerate the evaporation of water particles from wet hair. Hair dryers usually have the ability to turn the heating coils on or off as desired by the user.
Over time, people discovered that hair dryers can also be used to style hair. The various methods and techniques for using a hair dryer to style hair can be seen in any local or commercial barber shop. Many hairstylists have had successful and prosperous careers due to their ability to eloquently style the hair of customers. Hair styles have quickly become a way for people to express themselves and even to communicate various values. In fact, the styling of hair has even become a fashion phenomenon causing hair styles to change over time due to trends and popular social values. Thus, there is always a need for new ways to style hair. Various patents have issued relating to devices that control the flow of air while styling a person's hair. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,863, issued on Dec. 16, 1986 to Giordano, discloses a hair dryer outlet nozzle having a slit-like outlet opening that includes a forwardly and upwardly extending arcuate deflector of approximately half-circle form, which directs drying air away from the scalp and forms a vortex of drying air around a cylindrical brush upon which hair is wound during the drying process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,159, issued on Mar. 10, 1998 to Dorber et al., discloses an air directing device for a hair dryer for acting upon the air stream exiting from the hair dryer in which an air directing member is configured as a substantially tubular body having an inlet opening and an outlet area. The air outlet area has individual orifices configured and positioned such that the exiting air stream is split into substantially independent free jets.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,037, issued on May 9, 2006 to Keong, discloses a diffuser for a handheld electric hair dryer that includes a base from which fingers extend. Each finger has a longitudinal through-passage through which hot air passes from the base. A thermal-capacitance element is attached to the base so as to moderate changes in temperature of air exhausted through the diffuser.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,673, issued on Sep. 8, 1981 to Wolter, discloses a diffuser attachment which is telescopically assembled to the air outlet end of a hand-held hair dryer and which is characterized by a forwardly flared body portion and by a diffuser plate concentrically mounted within the flared body portion and having a convex surface facing the flow of heated air from the hair dryer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,919, issued on Jul. 16, 1985 to Harbolt et al., discloses an apparatus and method for dividing a flowing multi-phase fluid to provide at least two separate fluid streams wherein each fluid stream has substantially the same ratio of phases. The apparatus includes a fluid inlet chamber in fluid communication with at least two separate fluid outlet chambers. Fluid conduits connect the inlet chamber with the outlet chambers. Each of the conduits has a fluid conduit inlet opening communicating with the fluid inlet chamber and a fluid outlet opening communicating with one of the fluid outlet chambers. The fluid conduit inlet openings are arrayed in groups, wherein each group has at least two members, and the fluid conduits are adapted to provide that each fluid outlet chamber is in fluid communication with only one member of each group of fluid conduit inlet openings.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D260,189, issued on Aug. 11, 1981 to Winkler, discloses a hair dryer attachment that is attached to an end of a hair dryer. The attachment has a tubular portion and a concave portion mounted to an end of the tubular portion. The concave portion has a hole in a wall thereof so that air from the tubular portion can pass through the concave portion. The concave portion has a cross section of a semi-circle.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D380,540, issued Jul. 1, 1997 to Seatvet et al., discloses a portable heater-blower that attaches to an end of a hair dryer. The heater-blower has a first portion that is tubular and is mounted around the end of a hair dryer. A U-shaped portion is integrally formed at an end of the first portion so that air from the first portion passes into a first branch of the U-shaped portion and a second branch of the U-shaped portion.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D265,598, issued on Jul. 27, 1982 to Ridatz, discloses a diffuser for a hair dryer. The diffuser is an ornamental design for a diffuser for a hair dryer that is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,673.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that styles hair.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that styles hair using a hair dryer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that quickly styles hair.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that styles hair by spinning the hair within a hair dryer attachment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that can dry hair while styling the hair.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that has many configurations for styling hair.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that can be configured so as to provide a certain hair style.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.